Writing Their Way into Existence

Abstract This essay traces the emergence of womanist biblical interpretation within the broader context of late twentieth-century epistemological shifts in religious studies. While much has been written about the foundational contributions of Union Theological Seminary scholars to womanist theology, less attention has been paid to the concurrent development of womanist biblical interpretation. The postmodern turn of the 1970s created crucial fissures in biblical studies’ traditional methodological foundations. At Princeton Seminary, scholars like Renita J. Weems and Clarice J. Martin developed innovative approaches to biblical texts, laying groundwork for Black women scholars who arrived in the 1990s and collectively mapped out womanist biblical interpretation’s distinctive terrain. This essay examines how this field embraces methodological diversity while prioritizing Black women’s experiences as vital sources of knowledge and argues for its urgent relevance in addressing contemporary social crises.